The Wedding Date: March 3rd, 2012

As soon as Kyle and I got engaged, we started thinking about potential dates to get married on.  We thought it would be a fun idea to either get married on our anniversary or to get married on the date that we had our first date.  However, unless we wanted to get married this April, the next available weekend date that coincided with our anniversary is in 2015.  Not wanting to rush a wedding in five months or wait almost five years, we knew we'd have to choose a different date.  We still wanted a date fairly close to our own anniversary, so we begin thinking of dates that we could use that wouldn't fall near Valentine's Day or Easter.  That is when I remembered that March 3rd was my grandparents' wedding date.

For those who know me well, you know that my grandfather and I were very close.  I'd been saying for most of my adult life that when I got married that I wanted him to walk me down the aisle.  However, my grandfather fell ill almost ten years ago, and two years ago, he passed away.  My family was devastated by our loss.  To this day, we all still mourn over his passing.  He meant so much to all of us.  When my grandfather passed I wrote him a letter which I stuck in his jacket pocket before they buried him.  Inside I wrote how much I loved him and how much I missed him.  I also wrote that I promised that I would not marry a man unless this man was as good as he was.  I meant that then and I mean it now.

I met Kyle a little over a year later, and the first time he met my extended family my grandmother turned to my mother and said that Kyle reminded her so much of Buddy, my grandfather.  Along with many other things, my grandmother saying that really made it feel like it was meant to be.

So, while Kyle and I were deliberating about a date, I told Kyle that my grandparents' anniversary had been on March 3rd, and perhaps we could use that date, as well.  Kyle said that it sounded like a good idea, so we approached my grandmother about it.  We didn't want to use the date without her blessing.  When we told her that we wanted to get married on March 3rd she burst into tears and hugged us both saying that she would love it if we used the date.

For me, the date doesn't just symbolize the start of my life with Kyle.  It is also a way for me to honor my grandparents.  Since my grandfather will not be able to walk me down the aisle like I had always dreamed, this is a way to feel close to him on that day.

Kyle and I are very excited about getting married on March 3rd and we definitely want to do something during the ceremony to honor my grandparents for passing the date on to us.  We haven't decided yet on what we'll do, but we'll be sure to think of something meaningful for all of us.

This year on the 3rd we had a private mini-celebration of the beginning of our one year countdown!  We couldn't believe that at that time next year we'll be Mr. and Mrs. Belk!  And we can't wait to share that day with our close family and friends!